Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-03
RUSSIAN NEWSPAPERS.

kUNNlAN NEW NPAPLkN.
ONLY 600 JOURNALS PUBLISHED IN
THE czAR's ENTIRE EMPIRE.
All h Noted Newspapers Conducted by
Independent Writers Have Been Abol-
ished-OMcial Statistlcs-Why Russia Is
Almost Observation-Disclosures.
A complete %stagnation threatens the
Russian press. 1t is not because nova
days there are nc able writer's in Russia.
The trouble is that the present minister Of
the interior, Count D. Tolstoi, has sue
ceeded in abolisling all the noted journals
conducted by talented and independent
writer's. The list Of the periodical publ
cations that have been suppressed during
the last six years is far more interesting
and valuable than all the papers now liv-
ing. Now there is no originality about
Russian journals. fno freshness and none
of that misunderstanding interest which
in the days gone Dy used to so much at
tract attention in all parts of the great
empire.
The suspended Golos (The Voice. has
left fully $4,000 subscribers without any
paper to their taste, for none of them dare
to defend the constitutional form of the
government as The Golos did. In the
sixties, when the czar-liberator tried to
free the press from the iron grip of the
censor. Nicholas Tchernyshevsky started
The Contemporary Review, u monthly in
which he taught the Russian public for
the first time to ~conscientiously ~criticise
l tho pouapnYnonf 1ppocr1roo II 10 inoroc-
sible in this country even to imagine
what a whirlwfnd of public opinion he
raised as by magic. But even the liber-
ator could not long stand such freedom of
discussion, and Tchernyshevsky was sent
to Siberia for seven years and kept there
for fifteen. But the martyrology of the
Russian editors and writer's ia too long to
be given here.
The number of periodicals issued in
Russia amounts to a little over 600. AS
the population Of the czar's empire is
1O5, 900, 900, it is evident then that it takes
10000 Russian subjects to support one
periodical, whereas in the United States
every 1000 souls. support some publica-
ton.
Russ1A's 400 PERIODICALS.
Putting aside 200 periodicals published
in other than the Russian language, the
400 Russian periodicals are classified as
follows: Daily, So; weekly, So; monthly,
81; several times per week, 40; several
times per yea/, 1873. Nearly one half the
Russian peri t%iicals are published in the
capital of thtsmpire,. st. Petersburg, and
one-third in seven of the largest towns,
leaving for therest of the great empire less
than 100 periodicals. In the czar's country
there are MAY towns Of 10000, &c, COO,
or even 40, 900 inhabitants which have moi
a periodical of any kind. The whole OF
Siberia, with 4,s00O, 000 of population, has
only " newspapers and b~i-nlonthly of q
geographical society.
According to the official statistics fur
nished by the post department last yeal
In Russia there passed through the mail
about n, 500, 600 copies of Russian peri.
odicals of all sorts, and 4, 500, 600 of for
eign periodicals were received in Russia
Thus it appears that there is not for eact
subject Of the car during a year even 6
single copy of any periodical, Russian OF
foreign.
Why is the Russian press SO insignif
cant as to its volume? Some say it is be
cause fully 50 per cent. of the Russians
are illiterate. But if the educated anC
schooled Russians would read newspapers
as freely as Americans do, then in Russia
there would be 5000 periodicals instead Of
6O0. There are other causes that mako
the cZar's country almost newspaperless
In the first place, there is no political life
at all, and the industrial life there il
in its cnbryOtic state. Russians hav,
not so much news to exchange as thu
people in other countries have. In the
second place, the autocratic government
systematically and most strenucusly op
poses the growth Of the press. Cars hay,
always been aware that writer's, ever
5 though in the clutches of censors ant
under political supervision, are apt tt
think for themselves, to argue and t,
criticise. Thus they develop in them
selves and in their readers the qualitie!
! most decidedly Objectionable in imperia
subjects. Every job printer in Russi,
must procure q police certificate of goot
character and furnish bonds. and ever,
publisher, besides these qualifications
: must maintain an imperial inspector u
his own establishment.
y In Russia every editor Of prominence
= must pass a part Of his life in prison. 1
we add to that the fatal ministerial warn
inss, prohibition of inserting advertise
ments, heavy fines and suspension, W,
+ shall wonder not that there are so few
periodicals, but that among Russian!
| there arc men and women ready to ente
the career of journalist, which ranks j,
danger next to that of conspirator.-Mos
COW Letter.